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Modular Mini Storage

You have purchased the land for your
future self-storage facility. It has a good drive-by location, zoning has been
approved, and you are ready to build. An easy way to see your project become a
reality is with panelized buildings. Modular Mini Storage provides unique building kits to the
self-storage industry. Walls are prefabricated and delivered to the site ready
to stand in place. “The local contractor finds them easy to assemble,” says Terry Wellner, the company’s CEO.

Founded by Wellner and Bob Allworth, project manager, Modular
has been building high-quality self-storage buildings since 1993. The company’s
13,000-square-foot shop is in Tualatin, Ore., near Portland. “We’re a small
company without a sales staff. Most of our work is for repeat customers and
people who hear about us from folks we’ve worked with,” Wellner says.

Strong, Efficient Construction

The foundation of the Modular Mini self-storage kit is the
wall system. “Nearly every wall is a weight-bearing shear wall, making our
buildings some of the strongest in the industry,” Wellner says. Each building
is composed of galvanized-steel framed walls, prefabricated in the company’s
shop under stringent conditions. Special fixtures and tooling enable efficient
manufacturing to keep costs low. Using computer generated shop drawings, Modular
builds each wall on special framing tables to maintain dimensional tolerances
and ensure quality. Steel studs are custom cut to length, minimizing waste,
speeding manufacture and reducing costs.

“Our buildings are specially designed for Northwest
climates, although we have shipped all over the United States,” Wellner says.
Modular’s double-wall construction, standing-seam roofs and extra insulation
create tight, energy-efficient spaces. Partition walls minimize condensation and provide a warm,
inviting storage environment. Large commercial gutters and downspouts look great and keep
customers dry. For some locations, Modular provides insulated sectional doors
for exterior units. Kits also can be easily modified for heavy snow, wind or
seismic loads.

Firewalls are included in every kit. Walls are pre-framed with
steel studs on 2-foot centers or less, so the additional cost of firewalls is
minimal. One layer of drywall is applied in the shop, and remaining materials
are supplied with the building kit for installation in the field. Drywall for
building fronts is precut to minimize fieldwork. In addition, the roof slope is
built into the wall eliminating the need for roof trusses thus helping to reduce
time and cost.

The security of a Modular Mini facility is enhanced by
double-wall construction around each building’s perimeter and sturdy partition
walls made with heavy-gauge steel studs, OSB (oriented strand board) shear
diaphragms, and state-of-the-art, knurled fasteners. “There are more than 150
fasteners on a typical 10-foot wall section, and you need a sledgehammer to get
them apart,” Wellner says. All fasteners are concealed to prevent injury to
people or damage to property.

Diversity and Growth

Although self-storage buildings are its main focus, Modular
also provides panelized kits for RV and boat storage, light-industrial flex
space, office/residences and portable-storage modules. The company’s RVstorage
buildings provide completely enclosed, individual units, complete with 24-gauge,
sectional roll-up doors. Units often have electric door openers with their own
security codes.

Some of Modular’s customers are including office/warehouse
units in their mix and report they are very pleased with the results. “We
believe this is a real growth opportunity for self-storage developers,” says
Wellner. “These buildings can be located on smaller, less-visible
sites. Developers spread their risk by appealing to contractors, small
businesses, and companies needing a bit more warehouse space. Our buildings are
particularly well-suited for this use. Our unique panelized design is very
competitive with conventional red-iron buildings.”

The kit’s partition walls not only divide units, but provide
the structure to support the roof. Office walls include door and window openings
and are easily insulated. Firewalls are included as required, as well as standing-seam
roofs, and 12-foot-wide by 14-foot-high doors. Three panelized office/residence
kits are available, ranging from 1,500 to 1,800 square feet. All are two stories
with the office and main living area on the first floor. On a typical project,
the residence usually takes longer to finish because of the number of trades
involved. However, Modular’s residence kits give customers a jumpstart
by shortening overall construction time.

Portable-storage modules are designed to uniform building-code
standards and, if necessary, are eligible for building permits. Floor systems use pressure-treated beams and joists and are
designed for 125 pounds per square foot of floor loading. Roofs are
standing-seam. When placed side by side, the units look like conventional
self-storage buildings.

Providing Design Support

Modular provides more than just buildings. “We help customers with any area of the project where they
need help,” Wellner says. “Many times, we’ll recommend an experienced
contractor in their area, or visit the job site to help a new contractor get off
to a good start.” The company works with its customers and their planning
departments to develop the best possible site layout. This often involves
zoning, storm-drainage, fire, water, wetland or other issues.

“It is gratifying to help folks new to our industry develop
a successful project,” Wellner says. “They usually wind up with considerably more
rentable space than they expected and a much more competitive facility. Many
believe heated storage is a lot more expensive to build; but with our system,
this just isn’t the case.”

Allworth and Wellner have extensive construction experience,
enabling them to be involved in all aspects of the company. Allworth has worked in occupations from chef to commercial
fisherman in Alaska. He has also traveled to Japan to assemble some of Modular’s
custom homes. Wellner, who has master’s degrees in mechanical engineering, has
also been involved in a range of occupations. These diverse backgrounds allowed
the founders to develop a successful company serving the self-storage industry
with a unique product.